We have had a number of older listings that have come to us for assistance to get their homes sold. The vendors and their Realtors’ allowed their listing to expire, had it staged and then re-listed the property at the same price with new photos with the homes staged. They have been selling in 2-3 weeks! The vendors were so thrilled after months with no offers!

Our team is usually well aware of the background for each project. When these older listings that are newly staged sell so quickly – it is a special success for us. There are rounds of high fives and cheers that go through our warehouse and office! Not sure who is more excited the Realtor, vendor or us!

The first listing was a condo in Osborne Village that had been on the market for somewhere around 12 months. It required a bit of decluttering, some appliances and furniture and accessories to make it look better. We packed up, de-cluttered and had his excess belongings moved into storage. We sourced out the appliances for him at a very good price and arranged to have the appliances delivered. Then we staged the condo with furniture and accessories. The owner had a very busy schedule and was out of town for work, so we took care of everything for him.

The condo was staged, new photos were taken and was listed for the same asking price. Less than three weeks later, a sale was finalized. The owner couldn’t believe the difference staging had made and how quickly the condo sold. He kept saying again and again, “I should have just staged it from the start!”

The next was a single family home. It had been on the market for six months. They had some furniture that they had left behind, so we re-arranged what they had, brought in new furniture and accessories for that oh so important first impression. We topped off the whole home with just the right colour coordinated accessories so the whole house looked great!

It was photographed and re-listed for the same price. Again, they had an offer and within three weeks it was sold! Another thrilled client! Another happy Realtor! Another round of high fives and whoops in our office!

The third was another condo on the market for over six months. It had a bit of an unusual layout so the furniture selection and placement was very important in having the condo show well. We replaced their table with a smaller one that was more to scale for the space and made the kitchen and dining area feel much bigger. We removed their older, dated sofa and replaced it with a nice smaller contemporary sectional that made the room look huge — but also was more appealing to the younger buying demographic.

We staged the bedroom with modern furniture and décor to appeal to a younger buyer. We topped off the whole condo with current décor and accessories to make it appealing and create that fabulous first impression. Again, it sold just weeks after being staged.

One of the biggest mistakes we see people make is leaving or borrowing “some” older unwanted furniture behind for “staging”. This can quite often work against you if the furniture is too dated, or you do not finish the room with appropriate accessories. A big empty room with just a sofa is just that “an empty room with a sofa,” it is not staged!

If the furniture style is 30 years old and the sofa is worn, colours are not current or is not the appropriate size for the space, leaving the furniture behind is not the best way to showcase the space. Instead of a “wow” first impression, it may be more of a “my grandma had that piece 30 years ago!” first impression.

Any negative emotion will be remembered when they compare your property to others they have seen. Staging is not about filling a space with furniture — any furniture — any colour.

Professional staging is about ensuring you have the appropriate colour, style and size of furniture and well-coordinated decor to make lasting “wow” first impressions!

Buyers need to see themselves living in your space if they are going to make an offer to buy it! We show them a space they would love to live in! The emotional connection they feel when they walk into a professionally staged space is what makes them want to move in! Staging shows buyers how easy it would be to see themselves in your home!